I'm growing up. Lipstick is now in my purse.

I’m knocking on wood as I write this, but I think my sons have made a successful transition into school this year. The older one transferred to a new school which is always a little scary (probably more so for me than him) and my little guy had his first day of kindergarten. Both responses were “great” when asked how their days went yesterday and while I haven’t enjoyed a full exhale yet, I do feel like I can finally sit down to write about some pleasurable frivolities, like lipstick.

There seems to be two camps of lippie-wearers, lipgloss people and lipstick people. Since I was 10 years old I have had both feet firmly planted on the lipgloss side. In the spirit of being a good sport, I have made attempts at the more glamorous feel of lipstick, yet I must confess they were feeble. But something has recently changed in my adulthood- I finally feel grown up now that I have two kids in school- and I have made a shift. One foot still resides in the lipgloss camp, but I’ve got my other one firmly planted in the lipstick zone.

I have been a devout fan of Dr. Hauschka’s lip care stick for a couple years as its smooth and soothing texture is beyond compare. When a sales associate at Whole Foods informed me that the Dr. H lipsticks have the same formula in their base, I was sold. I picked my favorite of the bunch, a warm pink, and was good to go. Dolce (09) is a nude to medium pink that leans brownish-bronze with a hint of shimmering peach. It’s highly pigmented, smoothes on effortlessly and feels great on the lips. Unlike the majority of lipsticks, Dr. H’s are very moisturizing making gloss or balm unnecessary to increase its hydration. In fact, the Dr. H lipsticks feel like a pigmented version of their lip care stick. My only gripe is I wish this lipstick were available in more colors.

Another lovely all-natural lippie is made by Primitive, a cosmetic line you’ve probably passed a hundred times at your local health food store. I know that’s exactly what I had done. But with my newfound desire to become a lipstick gal, I got one. Aside from the vanilla scent- I do not like my makeup scented- this lippie is darn near perfect. Corsica rides the line between red and pink with enough brown to keep the color neutral and day/work appropriate. You can see in the above picture (Corsica is in the middle) that it’s on the warmish side, but neutral enough to look good on most skintones. In contrast to Dr. Hauschka’s lipstick, Primitive’s feels drier, but nothing that a little swipe of balm over the top can’t fix. Most Whole Foods carry the Primitive lipstick line, so give them a try and let me know if the vanilla scent is a deal breaker for you.

Luckily, NVEY Eco’s lipsticks are unscented and gorgeous! Their No. 362 is probably one of the prettiest lip colors I have ever come across. In the above photo, No. 362 is on the right and the photo is quite true to the color. It’s a vibrant warm pink that takes it up a notch from my usual “your lips but better” colors. While it gives me a shot of bright color that I normally don’t go for, I feel really comfortable wearing it. NVEY Eco’s lipsticks are as pigmented as Dr. Hauschka’s but not as hydrating. I find a swipe of my lip care stick necessary, but it’s worth it for such a gorgeous color and it lasts several hours before a touch-up is needed.

Check back in a few days as this post will continue. I will feature two more Dr. H and NVEY Eco colors that are usually outside my comfort zone.

11 thoughts on “I'm growing up. Lipstick is now in my purse.”

Hi Trish, so glad you’ve discovered lipstick, on of my great joys since I was 5 or so ; ) That NVEY Eco price is a bit steep! Everyday Minerals (a line you introduced me to) has just added new colors to their lip line that look a bit more lipsticky, as well as doubling their prices to a whopping $8 ; ) I always thought that $4 was A Steal, and maybe it was!

I’d be curious to hear what people’s responses, direct and indirect, are to your new stronger lip statement!

Thanks for reviewing lipsticks! I’m such a lipstick fan and it’s really nice to see the color swatches and hear your thoughts about moisture, color and scent. I believe I have tried the Dr’s lipstick, long ago. Now I’m using a gloss from a small small in Berkeley called 100% Pure (made from fruit). Don’t know if it’s available online or not but it’s wonderful–comes in various tints and allows you to wear red without blowing people away. The Dolce is a beautiful color as is Ecco. I’ll try them.

You’re so welcome! Thanks for reading. I have a lip glaze from 100% Pure that I really like, it’s more like a lipgloss/lipstick hybrid and I wanted to focus on true lipsticks for this post. The Dr. H ones are no doubt the most moisturizing, I love them! Let me know if you give Dolce a try.

Love my Primitive Corsica lipstick (and other colors). I actually find it to be the creamiest/most conditioning of all the natural’s out there. Also love their glosses, and getting ready to try the pencils. Glad you reviewed it.
—J.

Thanks to you, I popped over to my local whole foods and purchased the beautiful Dr. H shade, “11” (a deep shimmering plum berry). You are right– It’s SO moisturizing and I love how long the pigment lasts. A GREAT purchase. Happily, it was 15% off, too!